IU Bloomington is a big school. That size allows for amazing opportunities and resources, but what good are they if you can’t figure out how to navigate them? This blog is designed to help you create your own IUB path that leads to a successful business career.
Published by Kelley Campus Partnerships, we’ll cover majors outside the business school that can lead to amazing careers in business, feature IU alumni profiles, and highlight campus and community resources.
Did you know that Kelley undergraduate admission is a separate process from Kelley graduate program admission? You don’t typically apply to grad school until the junior or senior year of college, but you can start learning about your options now!
On Monday, November 4th, from 11:00am-2:00pm, you can talk to representatives from degree programs in Finance, Information Systems, Management, Accounting with Data and Analytics, and Healthcare Management. This event will take place in the Indiana Memorial Union (IMU), in the Frangipani Room above the hotel lobby.
All students are invited regardless of academic background…students from any major at IUB can apply to these programs!
For a personalized conversation about the +Kelley Masters programs, you can schedule an appointment with Gabe Sheir.
When I started working at the Kelley School, I didn’t know anything about business. It took me about a year to get familiar with different company names and business terminology. It’s clear: curiosity is a superpower!
One of the quickest ways to ramp up your business knowledge is to skim through the various business sections of publications that are FREE to you as a student. I try to grab a copy of the Wall Street Journal from the bins in Hodge Hall and flip through the headlines, reading a bit about companies that are interesting to me. I don’t always understand it, but I’ve found that over time things start to sink in. Learning new terminology, different issues that are facing business, all of it makes me better at explaining business careers and opportunities.
You can also access professional journalism right your phone or laptop through IU Libraries paid subscriptions to major US newspapers, including:
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You came to IU with expectations of how you thought your first year would go. Now you’re over halfway through your first semester, and you may be realizing that you don’t love what you’re studying. You’re asking yourself,
“Is this what I want? Am I truly interested in this major? Is this leading me to a path I’m excited to pursue?”
In the last few weeks, I’ve met with several students who have decided that a Kelley degree just isn’t for them. They aren’t enjoying the classes and have realized that they have a passion for the sciences, the arts, advertising, history, public affairs or global studies. They are starting to think they might be in the wrong major. So we’ve met, talked through various options, and identified new possible paths for them to still get to a business career, just not through a Kelley major.
As a pre-business student, you’re likely going to be asked about your parallel path at some point. There are typically three responses to the parallel path question:
Let’s dive into question #2. The parallel path is simply another way for you to meet your career goals. But does the major itself mean you’ll get the career you want? No. There’s more to it than simply pursuing the “right” degree.
From guest contributor Matthew R. Kerchner, Associate Academic Advisor, Advising and Major Exploration Services.
No matter what business pathway you choose at IU, there are two strategic opportunities you can take advantage of to significantly enhance your professional profile and make you a charismatic and distinctive candidate on the job market: the selection of General Education courses and minors.
When choosing either General Education courses or deciding to do a minor, you might want to find one that would allow you to write on your resume “I have used my electives (or “…chose to do a minor”) to educate myself on issues and challenges facing 21st century businesses, specifically (insert topic of the courses/minor you’ve chosen).
Employers in the business sector are seeking candidates with backgrounds in: technology and innovation, environment and sustainability, diversity, and developing a global perspective on business, the economy, and politics. IU has many courses and minors that can arm you with knowledge of these areas, including Global Media, Merchandising, Media and Diversity, Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Information Technology, International Relations, and many more. (more…)
IU provides all students access to an amazing program called Forage, which provides you with opportunities to do a virtual, real-life job simulation! You can do them at your own pace and learn about a variety of different roles in a huge number of companies.
It’s the perfect way to answer these questions:
Once you complete the simulation you get a brief description that tells you how to include the simulation on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
Take some time to focus on your career…Forage ahead!
When Sophia Jackson was in her third year studying psychology at Indiana University, she began to question her original career plan. Her advisor recommended she consider the Kelley MS in Management (MSM) degree to develop a business foundation that would complement her expertise in human behavior. Now excited to pursue a career in human resources, Sophia joins the inaugural Kelley MSM class in July.
Like Sophia, students with an undergraduate major in the arts, sciences, or engineering can earn a specialized master’s degree at Kelley in as few as 18 months. Students from a nonbusiness background can apply as early as their junior year to the +Kelley program, an accelerated pathway to full-time Master of Science degrees in accounting, finance, information systems, management, or healthcare management. This summer, Sophia is enrolled in Jumpstart, a boot camp preparing her for academic success in a rigorous graduate business program, and she’s sharing the path that led her to Kelley:
“I took an undergraduate course in the psychology of the workplace and realized there are connections to the business side of human resources. I felt that with a background in human behavior and emotional intelligence, I could add business skills and become a leader in human resources for the healthcare industry. My dad always said to me, ‘Education is your access to open doors,’ and we agreed that the Kelley name carried weight to boost my career farther and faster. I spoke with Gabe Sheir of the +Kelley program, and he told me about the supportive Kelley alumni network. That conversation sealed the deal.”
“I’m excited to take the Management Foundation course and business core courses, like Business of Technology and Spreadsheet Modeling, to diversify my hard skills. Next fall, I’m enrolled in a course to develop my soft skills in leadership, persuasion, influence, and negotiation. I’m looking forward to making in-person connections with Kelley faculty and hope to build authentic relationships with Kelley alumni working at the company where I want to be. My dream role is to be the director of human resources for a medical company or a hospital.”
“This summer, even before starting the program, I’ve met Kelley career coaches. They’re working with MSM students on topics like behavioral interviewing and how to appropriately reach out to alumni and recruiters. They’re knowledgeable about the whole hiring process, from interviewing to negotiating to accepting a job.”
“The whole process was smooth and seamless, and I heard back very quickly.”
Interested in media, culture, entrepreneurship? Check out this story about an IU alumna who has built several exciting careers and businesses coast to coast!
Entrepreneurship comes naturally to Dolly Meckler (B.A. ’14), who majored in Telecommunications in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington (IUB).
“I’ve always been a hustler,” Meckler says. “In high school, I had an after-school job and also had a business where I made candy creations. Think large structures decorated with your favorite Halloween candy. When I got to Indiana University, I created and produced a webseries called Hello Dolly, which started as an IUSTV production and then turned into a larger Internet-based project.”
For Meckler, these projects and side hustles have added up to some major results—and major success in her career. After graduating from IUB, she continued her Hello Dolly webseries and also founded a company called Snaplistings, which went on to be acquired in 2017. Following that, she worked in marketing for HBO and YouTube and, in 2019, founded her own social media consultancy in New York City. Even when the pandemic hit in 2020, it didn’t slow Meckler down.
“I’m always trying new things,” she says, “and that’s when I baked challah bread for the first time, amidst the baking phase of quarantine. To my surprise, the bread came out beautifully and I posted it on my Instagram only to find that I had dozens of followers who were interested in purchasing some for themselves. I thought to myself, ‘Wait a second. I know how to build a brand. Why don’t I give this a go?’”
And with that, Meckler’s challah bread business was born. Challah Dolly sold braided challah both online and in pop-up stores throughout New York City, and the company went on to be featured in publications such as The New Yorker and Forbes.
In reflecting on her time at the College and IU and how this has impacted her career, Meckler points to the ways in which her telecommunications degree helped her understand how people interact with different kinds of media. (On July 1, 2014, IUB founded The Media School within the College, which is where telecommunications is now one of many curricular offerings that help prepare graduates for careers in business and industry.)
“I know for certain that it molded me to think critically about marketing and media,” Meckler says. “I was in the honors telecommunications program at IU and had the opportunity to write a thesis under the guidance of Professor Julia Fox; she always encouraged me to dig deeper and connect ideas. I also have a minor in gender studies, and Professor Jen Maher opened up my world and helped me gain a deeper understanding about people’s relationships and dynamics within mainstream society.”
Explore degrees in the Media School!
“One perspective is never enough.” Gain the foundational skills of a College liberal arts and sciences education while you receive management training in the Kelley School of Business through this innovative degree program. To get started, add LAMP-M 201 Arts of Communication to your schedule.
Management + Human Organization
MHO majors will study the nature of business and commerce through the lens of a liberal arts and sciences education, grapple with global problems that have no single solution, and think and write critically about business from the perspectives of various different disciplines. (more…)
Interested in business, marketing and retail? You can earn a major in Merchandising at IU
Consider adding this course to your schedule:
SOAD-M 109 Apparel Industries: This course is an introduction to the retail cycle related to the interdisciplinary study of and research in apparel and textiles. Students will examine social and economic theories underlying the fashion business, retail merchandising principles, consumer behavior, and contemporary retail issues.
Learn more about careers in Merchandising.